South Bethany

On Wednesday, July 28, U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman (both D-Del.) and Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) announced that $8.172 million in federal funding would be provided to repair the Bethany Beach and South Bethany coastline following damage from the nor’easter and Hurricane Ida in November 2009.

Summertime is in full swing, and many have been heading to the shore for a relaxing getaway and time with family and friends. But the increased number of vacationers inevitably leads to higher volume of traffic on the roadways.

Bringing to a close discussions dating back to February, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Collin O’Mara recently announced that the agency has finalized a consent agreement with NRG Energy Inc. that will permanently shut down a third coal-fired electrical generating unit at the Indian River Power Plant in Millsboro by the end of 2013.

Whether doing cannonballs off the boat, taking off from the dock on a personal watercraft or swimming in the open bays, it’s nice to know how clean that water really is. And the Center for the Inland Bays’ second Recreational Water Quality Indicator Report can help in navigating the use of some of the local inland bays.

Outstanding architecture, astounding landscaping, inspiring home furnishings and stunning design have all combined to make particular homes and dwellings some of the most sought-after and admired ones in the area. Next week, guests on the 19th Annual Beach & Bay Cottage Tour, to benefit the Friends of the South Coastal Library (FOSCL), will once again have the opportunity to witness it all and visit 10 exceptional homes throughout the Bethany Beach/Fenwick Island area.

After introducing a proposal at their July 9 meeting, South Bethany town council members could vote as soon as next month to purchase outright the property adjacent to town hall known as Richard Hall Memorial Park – for the sum of just $32,000.

“It doesn’t make any difference … whether you are in a pool, or the ocean. It only takes a matter of seconds.”

With the controversy leading up to a planned-but-scrapped May referendum vote on the issue still fresh in their minds, will South Bethany officials move this week to definitively open the way for an enhanced park next to the town hall?

First, the South Bethany Town Council got a new look. Now its workshop meetings are seeing a little bit of change, too. At the council’s first workshop since the May elections, new Mayor Jay Headman introduced two new segments to the workshop agenda – both for public comment.

Newly elected South Bethany Town Council Member Sue Callaway hasn’t always lived at the beach full-time. For most of her adult life, she has been fighting for children, and she was part of the founding team of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

With the town’s 2010 council and mayor elections complete, South Bethany’s town council took on a different face on June 5, with new mayor Jay Headman and two new council members, Sue Callaway and George Junkin. But those changes themselves served to bring back a familiar face for those who’ve attended council meetings in South Bethany: Bob Cestone.

When South Bethany Mayor Jay Headman kicked off the town’s reorganizational meeting on Saturday, June 5, a new era had officially begun. Headman was recently elected to replace Gary Jayne, who had served as mayor of the town for the past six years and had stepped aside only after reaching the end of his allowed two terms without at least a year’s break.

As of Saturday, June 5, South Bethany will have a new mayor and two new council members, with the election on Saturday, May 29, of Jay Headman as the town’s next mayor and council newcomers George Junkin Jr. and Sue Callaway, as well as the re-election of incumbent Councilman John Fields.

At 3:35 p.m., National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated strong thunderstorms moving into central and southern Delaware. Officials said the storms will be capable of producing small hail and gusty winds. In addition, very heavy rain will fall from these storms and will cause water to pond on roads and fill poor drainage areas.

South Bethany residents will go to the polls on Saturday, May 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the town hall, to elect a mayor and three council members.

This year’s candidates for mayor, with a two-year term of office going to the winner, are Joseph “Jay” Headman and Robert A. Youngs, both current council members whose current terms are to expire in 2011.

DNREC officials said this week that the Assawoman Canal dredging project is “closing in on completion.” An extension has been granted for work to continue through May 28, and if dredging is not complete by that date, DNREC has requested additional time to get the project finished this season, said Ariane Nichols of DNREC’s Division of Soil and Water Conservation.

National Safe Boating Week runs from May 22 to 28 this year, and the traditional opening to the summer boating season will start this weekend, so the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Boating Safety Office is encouraging people to practice safe boating.

The Center for the Inland Bays (CIB) has received a $98,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Clean Water Advisory Council to begin implementation of stormwater retrofits for the Anchorage Canal drainage area. The grant will allow them to start the study, design, engineering and construction of a particular wet swale along South Pennsylvania Avenue in front of Sea Colony. It is just one of many projects proposed for the area. Several other retrofit projects in the area have been proposed, with different price tags attached.

Every winter, Kimberly Grimes and Marco Hernandez leave their South Bethany shop, Made by Hand, to travel abroad. But rather than visiting typical tourist spots, their destinations are the locales where the fair-trade products sold in their store are made. They journey to the homes of the world’s poorest people, whose work in Fair Trade cooperatives means the difference between eating and going hungry, between hope and despair.

As has often been the case in recent years, South Bethany has a bevy of candidates in its annual elections. But changes are in store for the town, based on who is running in 2010 and who is not, as those not running for re-election include longtime mayor Gary Jayne and longtime council member Marge Gassinger, as well as one-year council member Diane Matera.

The South Bethany Town Council this week approved the town’s budget for the 2011 fiscal year. Major elements of the budget include no property tax increases and keeping expenses, such as salaries, flat. Also, there will be a restructuring of healthcare costs for new employees. Rental tax rates will remain at 8 percent of total gross receipts for each residential and commercial property.

Sunny skies and warming temperatures are headed this way, which will pair nicely with the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce’s 21st Annual Ocean to Bay Bike Tour, set to ride on Saturday, April 17, starting at 8 a.m., through the Quiet Resorts. Cyclists of all ages and skill levels are being encouraged to choose between 25-, 35- and 50-mile routes, starting and ending in downtown Bethany Beach.

Here in Sussex County, if you look in the right places, you can find breakfast hotspots and sandwich shops, but there has only been one McCabe’s Gourmet Market, whose longevity and popularity have made it a staple throughout the community. With springtime upon us, the South Bethany favorite, celebrating a quarter-century and counting, is opening its doors for the season, once again, serving up fresh brewed coffees and unrivaled, gourmet sandwiches.

A coastal storm, combined with astronomical high tides and a full moon, has resulted in the National Weather Service issuing a coastal flood warning and a hazardous weather outlook for the Bethany Beach area. Minor coastal flooding during Wednesday morning’s high tide may elevate to moderate flooding on during the next high tide into Thursday.

Although snowflakes are few and far between in Delaware as of 3:30 p.m., Thursday, the National Weather Service predicts that snowfall will gradually increase over the state and continue through Thursday night into Friday. However, forecasts for accumulation have been lowered since early Thursday morning.

This week saw new developments in the case of Earl Bradley, and the pain that has been felt in the community in the wake of allegations of child sexual abuse by the Lewes pediatrician has only become more far-reaching.

Search efforts to find a Selbyville man who went missing from a Fenwick Island condo on Feb. 9 have been scaled back, according to Delaware State Police, but friends and family remain optimistic and hopeful for his safe return. Police said 29-year-old Gregory Forte was last seen at a condo with friends on South Carolina Avenue in Fenwick Island last Tuesday night, and his family is now offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his safe return.

The State of Emergency in Delaware was lifted at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, by Gov. Jack Markell. But even as the state works to clean up and restore services following the back-to-back snow storms of this month, another snow event is threatening. With a possible arrival of Monday evening, the next storm could drop 8 inches or more of snow unless it shifts to a more northerly track, officials said.

Delaware remains under a State of Emergency on Friday morning, Feb. 12, 2010. The State of Emergency has been in effect since 12 midnight, Feb. 10. The travel bans contained in the original State of Emergency declared by Gov. Jack Markell that prohibited travel on Delaware roadways by non-essential vehicles were lifted on Thursday. The change was effective at noon on Feb.

State of Emergency remains in effect
 
Gov. Jack Markell has ordered the driving restrictions for Kent and Sussex counties to be lifted as of 6 p.m. tonight.  However, the State of Emergency will remain in effect for the entire state until further notice.  Earlier today, the governor and emergency officials lifted driving restrictions in New Castle County.